Intervention: The Hidden Tenno
First Meeting Ahatake and Chikai were sitting in the family room, watching a small television. Ahatake's arm was in a sling. Chiaki had done her best to heal it but it still needed to recover on it's own. "...and so, a supposed ally intervened in your fight, before you could finish him off?" After the healing, Chiaki had taken the liberty of deducing what clues Ahatake had given her and made a surprisingly accurate summary. So into it was she that she was using her hands for emphasis on some parts. "Yeah." Ahatake replied. "It was a little girl. I couldn't attack a little girl." "C'mon! She was standing in your way, and your objective was right behind her!" "If she had gotten in my way, I might have killed her." Ahatake replied matter-of-factly. "Unlike you, I don't kill without reason." Chiaki sweatdropped. "Don't tell me killing Okita wasn't reason enough." She complained, flopping back in her own seat. "I have reason to kill him yes, but not reason to kill the girl." Ahatake snapped. "I'm not going to kill anyone who gets in my way. That's Okita's job." Chiaki raised her hands defensively, cringing as if intimidated. "Hey, easy! I was just sayin'..." Then, she lowered her hands, sighing a bit. "Yeah... just let him keep using a hostage against you. That's such a genuis idea..." Luckily a knock at the door distracted Ahatake from his next response. He sighed as he got up to answer and standing there was his little sister. "Onii-san!" She said cheerfully as she walked into the house. "Uh..come in?" Ahatake said puzzled. Immediately, Chiaki's eyebrow raised to one of question at the stranger who approached. "Onii-san? You know this girl?" She questioned her husband. "My little sister." Ahatake replied. "Akiko to what do we owe this pleasure?" "I just figured I'd drop in on you all." She said simply. "Haven't seen you in years, Onii-san. Being here with family is better than being around staff and others who constantly call me "Ojou-sama"." "Glad to see you've finally joined the family!" Chiaki joked, putting an arm on one of Ahatake's shoulders. "I'm Chiaki, if you didn't know already." Akiko smiled. "Nice to meet you too Onee-san." She smiled even wider. "Onii-san, you got yourself a pretty one." Ahatake laughed. "I'd forgot how annoyingly cheerful you could be." "Eh, it's better than your attitude!" Chiaki teased. Ahatake scowled and called up the stairs. "Akane, Michiyo, come down here and meet your aunt!" No sooner had he said it, their faces peeked out from their door. Without hesitation, Michiyo stepped out and jogged down the steps as she called back, "Who is she?" "Akiko Tenno." Ahatake replied. "My little sister." Akane wasn't as cautious as Michiyo. She came bounding down the stairs, hand in hand with a young pink haired girl. As soon as Michiyo reached the last step, she grinned upon seeing Akiko for the first time. "Nice to meet you, ma'am!" She said politely, nodding to her. "My name's Michiyo." "Nice to meet you Michiyo. Call me Akiko though." She replied cheerfully. "I hate being referred to formally." "Hi Auntie! I'm Akane." Akane said cheerfully, while Yuri stood next to her looking rather nervous. "Hello Akane." Akiko smiled. "Onee-san who's the pink one?" "Akane's...friend." Ahatake replied. "Her name is Yuri." "Well that solves the puzzle." Akiko said, moving her hair out of her face. "Don't judge her on the name." Michiyo said, grinning slightly. "She doesn't have that taste in women, I believe." "You believe wrong." Yuri said quietly. Her voice was slightly melodic and it rang throughout the room despite her volume. "Wha--" Slightly taken back, Michiyo immediately compsed herself. "Ok, never mind, then." She mused, shrugging slightly. Chiaki chuckled, obviously amused. "And you said Yue-chan was a figure of my imagination." Akane said teasingly to Michiyo. Michiyo looked to the side and put a hand to her mouth. "Ok, fine, maybe I was a tad bit off..." She relented, trying to look innocent. Akane stuck her tongue out at her sister and Yuri smiled slightly. "Hm? So you're like me then Akane?" Akiko asked curiously. "You like both genders?" "No just girls." Akane replied cheerfully. "Oh, boy..." Chiaki drawled. "Michiyo, you're our only hope in populating the clan. Quick, go get yourself a husband!" That immediately made the elder girl blush furiously. "K...Kaa-san!!!" She protested. Ahatake laughed and but then quickly grasped his arm. "Alright no one make me laugh!" At her husband's expense, Chiaki snickered, folding her arms across her chest. "With your happy-ass personality? That's highly unlikely." She said, smirking. Ahatake brushed this off as he sat back down. "Tou-san, Kaa-san, Yue-chan and I are going to back upstairs and play." "Alright." Ahatake said, not really paying attention as he flicked the TV back on. "And I'll be going out..." Michiyo said immediately, turning to walk towards and out the front door. "I'll be back in a little while..." "Don't get into trouble!" Chiaki called out, as a warning and a reminder. Akane giggled as she led her teammate upstairs. Ahatake sighed. "Hey Onii-san, I think I'm gonna step out myself. I'll be back later." "Short-lived visit." Chiaki smirked, even as she lay back down in her own seat. "Same goes for you. I don't want my sister-in-law to get killed right after I meet her!" She said in humor. "Me die?" Akiko laughed. "Not possible." And she walked out the door. "She's stealing my lines." Ahatake groaned. "Ain't that the truth. Now, would you kindly pass me the remote?" Enter Yumi Akiko sighed. Unlike her other family members, she couldn't summon a phoenix. Everytime she thought about it it got her depressed. The streets just had to contradict her mood. They were bustled with lots of villagers, who filled the area with plenty of mirthful talk. She could hear bits and pieces of conversation; what the latest news was, how the family was, how life was. The buildings were practivally alive with activity, signs up to mark the best hang-out places, public and private. To summarize, it was a good day in Konoha. She sighed and stopped in the middle of the street. She bit her finger and quickly formed seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" She cried pressing her hand to the ground. Nothing. No majestic bird, not even a baby chick. Close to her, some of the coversation immediately stopped, and several sets of eyes turned to stare at her with various expressions; amusement, bewilderment, and the ever-so-popular "WTF" look. In the midst of such a crowd, someone had the guts to throw a tomato at her, splattering it on her face. "GO BACK TO KUNAI SCHOOL, YOU NINJA POSER!!!" Laughter roared in the area. Akiko sighed. "You all should know, I'm not like Onii-san." She formed a seal. "Kagebunshin no Jutsu." She whispered and made a dozen clones. "I could kill you all right now." "...Oh, crap." "MURDERER!" "RUN!!!" Immediately, the crowd around her dispersed, obviously driven by the fear of getting massacred by the Tenno. However, the main street crowd had not yet done so, staring with a mixture of fear and amazement. Akiko sighed. "Get them!" She ordered and her clones followed after those who ran. She sat down in a little dango shop, watching her clones beat some of the people senseless. Her father had always scolded her for her violent tendencies. She merely responded by saying if her mother was around, she'd have a lady to take after. The place she had chosen to sit was right next to another place, where the sounds of music could be heard through the walls. The people who walked in certainly looked like they were rebels of the public, all wanting to escape the daily noise. White Flag Bar - a popular bar in Konoha. She sighed. It was probably the most enjoyable place she'd find today and she was in a particularly bad mood. A few drinks would cheer her up. She walked in and sat down. "Barkeep, Vodka with a whiskey back and step on it." "Right away, ma'am." The barkeeper nodded, then went off to prepare the selected drink. At this point, there were two voices in the corner of the room that could be heard through the calm music, a male voice and a female voice. "...from the area." The boy was saying. "Hey, I'd be grateful at this point. We're lucky to be even doing this." The girl's voice, though gentle, was obviously scolding. Akiko twirled on her stool and looked to see a young girl in a trenchcoat not unlike her brother's, and a young man in blue with a shot hair cut and a creepy smile. "Boss didn't work himself off for nothing. The only reason we're not getting chased is because he's providing cover." She insisted, a glass of a white liquid in one hand. "Be grateful for that... and the fact that he gave you some medical attention." The man frowned slightly, looking down. His left arm was now in a sling. "Yeah... I guess you're right about that. Still, the fact that I have to stick around with this on makes me a bit suspicious..." Akiko walked over to him. "Hello." She said cheerfully. "Huh?" In surprise, the man looked up at her, eyes widened a bit for a second. Then, he re-composed himself, giving that smile and squinted eyes. "Why, hello there, Miss!" He said politely. This caused the female to look up at her in wonder, even as she took a sip of the Rose Red. Her hand glew red. "Let me see that arm." Both of their expressions curious, the man leaned over just enough for her to touch the cast. "Yes, I'm afraid it was broken in a sparring match." He explained, laughing sheepishly. Akane gently touched the arm, and a feeling of great warmth spread throughout it as it healed instantly. "There. All better." She said cheerfully. Immediately, his eyes widened as he felt the warmth spread across his arm. Then, when the hand stopped, he attempted to move it... and it moved. With enough movment, he was able to shrug off the sling easily and inspect the arm. "W...why, thank you!" He brought himself to say. "Medical ninjutsu?" The girl thought. "Well, aren't we lucky..." "That's the special brand of Tenno Medical Ninjutsu for you." Akiko said cheerfully as she walked back to her stool to sip her drink. "Tenno...?" Immediately, the man's eyes widened in shock as he looked over the girl once more, then back at his companion who was guzzling her drink down. It was a rather blatant display of alcohol tolerance, something that often got her into drinking contests. "You don't think she--" Promptly, the female set the glass down, raising a hand up for silence. "I don't think she knows yet..." She said softly. "And it'd be better if she didn't. Though, we might have to be a bit more cautious now..." "Right..." She walked back over to the two. "So where are you two from?" She asked. "You don't seem to wear Konoha headbands, so can I safely conclude you are not Shinobi? Or are you foreigners?" "We're citizens of this village." The girl explained, putting on a warm smile of her own. "Yumi Murakami." "Akiko Tenno." She replied. "Nice to meet you. And you are?" She inclined her head towards Yumi's male companion. "Seta Senkaku." The man said immediately, scratching one cheek with his index finger. "A pleasure to meet you, Tenno-sama." "Nice to meet you too." She replied. She down her glass in one and set it down smacking her lips. "I feel much better now than I did when I came in here. And helping you out, Seta, probably redeemed what I had done outside." Seta looked on with a bit of surprise. "That was you? You seem harmless enough!" He said, looking her over and grinning in slight amusement. Yumi closed her eyes and put on a sheepish smile, slightly shaking her head in a sage manner. "Eh they called me a Ninja Poser, so I sicked twelve of me on them. Which reminds me I should call a medic-nin or something." "Nah..." Yumi shrugged. "With all that noise, the hospital probably came to them. They'll be fine." She assured. Akiko laughed as she took two glasses that someone had left on a nearby table and downed them quickly. "I'll bet. But Tou-san always said to be less violent. Eh, I never listened to him anyhow." "It pays to be violent when.... you're a shinobi, aren't you?" Seta questioned. "If I wasn't, you'd still have a damaged arm." She replied grinning. Yumi frowned in disapproval at Seta. "What do you mean 'violence pays when you're a shinobi'? It doesn't pay anything but lives of those who didn't deserve to lose 'em!" She protested. "Personally, I wouldn't want to be one." "Aw you're no fun!" Akiko whined. "Violence is the best! The taste of the opponents blood, screams of agony. You can't get much better than that!" "Urk..." Immediately, the raven-haired girl gripped her stomach and leaned over, grimacing. "O..ok... bad images..." She groaned, gasping lightly. "Think I'm gonna pu--" Fortunately, a waiter happened to be there when she puked, with a trash can and all. Her male companion grimaced in disgust, turning his head away. Akiko took a glass from the waiter's tray and down it, but accidentally dropped it and it shattered. She payed it no mind. "I'm sorry Yumi-san." She said and she sounded it. The waiter promptly sweatdropped, clearly distraught over having to clean up such a mess. While he did so, the now-recovering Yumi wiped her mouth and gave a weak smile. "No problem... you didn't mean it..." She replied in an effort to reassure her. Akiko smiled and leaned closer to Yumi. She laughed and pressed her lips to Yumi's. "Now, then, how about--" Whatever Yumi's next statement was, wasn't going to be said anytime soon. When Akane's lips met hers, all function stopped. Her face turned a furious crimson red, and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "M-mmmmh!!!!" She could only attempt to protest, arms to shaken to push her away. But Seta could clearly tell the influence of alcohol, leaning his head to the side and smiling in amusement. Akiko laughed as she broke off, but she didn't anything, merely ordering another drink. Now Yumi was a silent for a bit more, eyes shadowed, head lowered, and her face still flushing a crimson red as she was attempting to recover from the shock of the kiss. Then, after seeing the drink, she immediately shook herself out of it, re-gaining her composure. "So...Akiko-dono..." She said politely. Akiko smiled. "I think I like you Yumi." She said cheerfully. "And that ain't that alcohol talking either!" Immediately, Yumi raised her hands up. "D-don't talk like that, Akiko-san!" She protested, a blush spreading over her cheeks once more. "Call me Akiko." She said . "I hate honorifics! And I do like you Yumi. 'Sides, I'll talk how I like. It's how I've always behaved." "W..well... when you say you like me, what do you mean by it?" Yumi questioned hesitantly, before turning a head and raising her hand. "Waiter! Another glass of Rose Red over here, please!" "I'll put it this way." Akiko said. "Dump smiley and go out with me." Seta merely gave her a side-long glance, but said nothing. "FUCK." There went her alternative route. And she was now facing the expression of a drunkard, who was aiming to get a bit too intimate. She would have to think really hard about her next move... "Now, Akiko..." She said gently, putting her hands together. "Understand that I'm not going out with Seta-kun at the moment. He's just a friend. And, it's not that I don't like you, it's just that...well, I'm not looking for love affairs at the moment." "Aw well." She sighed. "I'll just wait then. And I believe you were about to ask me something?" Thank God for her negotiation skills. Yumi scratched the back of her head. "Well, I forgot now, I'm afraid. Never mind it." Akiko sighed. "Well that sucks. If I'd known you were gonna forget, I'd have pestered you to go out with me some more." She laughed rather loudly as she drunk what could be assumed to be her 20th drink. It was then that Yumi frowned slightly, this time out of concern. "Uhm...Akiko... how about you stop with the drinks?" She asked. "I mean, we only have so much money in our pockets at the moment..." "I'll put it on my tab and Tou-san'll pay. Which means you two can keep ordering if you like." She swayed for a moment. "Oh, no." Yumi insisted, allowing herself to get up from the table and walk over to Akiko. "We're going to take you home... you're starting to look sick." Her voice wasn't scolding, but gentle as if to pacify the drunkard. Akiko sighed. "Ah well. Maybe Ahatake-nii will be happy to see I have new friends." "Now, can you stand?" Yumi questioned, raising her arms out a bit in a gesture to help Akiko rise from the chair. Akiko jumped down. "Yea, I can stand. Hell I could probably fight like this if I wanted." "All right. Seta?" In question, Yumi turned her head towards the man who simply gave them a wave-off. "I'll stay here for a minute. Try to come back soon, OK, Yumi?" He asked, giving a warm smile. Yumi couldn't help but put on a grin of her own. "Don't worry." With that, Yumi turned back towards Akiko and began to escort her out the door, stopping at the entrance just to pull out the wallet and pay the waiter nearby the money for the drinks. After that, they stepped out into the afternoon day, the sunset approaching. Hesitancy "So," Akiko said, hiccuping once. "Yumi, will you think about going out with me?" "Akiko, I said before that I wasn't interested in love affairs..." "You're only 16. That'll change in a few years." She said matter-of-factly. Yumi sighed, closing her eyes in a rather exasperated manner. "Why are you so suddenly interested in me?" She asked, giving her companion a sidelong frown. "You're cute, and I find you somewhat interesting." Akiko replied, not even thinking about it. "And you don't have such a creepy smile as Seta does." "...well, I appreciate the compliments, but..." "Come on, don't back off now, SAY IT!" "I don't share your tastes." The last few words Yumi spoke were shaky in the slightest way possible, out of fear for what Akiko would do. Akiko sighed. "Hearing that gets a bit wearing after awhile." "I'm sorry, Akiko." Yumi apologized, clapping her hands together for emphasis. "But.. I'm sure you'll find someone who does? After all, you can't be the only one with a taste in women..." "Nah, I bet there are plenty others." She said and didn't bother to mask the disappointment in her voice. Immediately, Yumi's heart sank a bit at her friend's tone. She turned her head away, allowing a small frown to come across her face. It was apparent nothing she was saying was helping the girl get over the revelation, and it was slightly frustrating her. She folded her arms across her chest, saying nothing more for the moment. Akiko sighed. "I guess I'll just have to be more persistent when it comes to you." She said, a bit of determination in her voice now. "I'm not letting you slip away." She grinned as she extracted a Kunai from her pouch and threw it at a bird in the sky. It hit it's mark perfectly and the bird fell down, dead. Shock came over Yumi's face once more. "W...what was that for?!" She protested, a bit of indignance coming to her voice now. "I needed to vent a little frustration." She replied. "And I think I beat up enough of these people earlier." She gestured around the street. "...." This time, Yumi's expression turned to one of disdain, and she turned away once more. "Sorry." Akiko replied quickly. "I usually have like a punching bag, or Onii-san for these kinds of things. Or I could just go home and tell Tou-san how bad my day was, and he usually cheers me up. I'm not used to being frustrated for so long without an outlet." "That's a perfectly good excuse to take it out on innocents." Yumi muttered, slight anger in her voice. Akiko looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry.." She murmured. "I'll try not to do it again.." "See that you do..." It was at that moment, Yumi's hand rested on the door of the Tenno household. "All right, here's your stop." She stated calmly, looking over at Akane. "So, I'll take it I'll see you later?" "Wait, I want you to meet my family." Akiko said cheerfully. "You'll like Onii-san. He's like you, one of them peace believers and whatnot." "Well, I'll have to call Seta and tell him I'll be doing that..." "Alright." Akiko said as she opened the door. "Onii-san, Chikai-nee! I'm back and I have a guest with me." Ahatake groaned. "And it was just getting quiet." "Eh?" Chiaki raised her head up in puzzlement. "What do you mean, a guest?" Her hazel eyes looked over Yumi as she stepped into the room, hands clasped behind her back in a rather sheepish manner. "A pleasure to meet you all..." Yumi trailed off, however, when she spotted the familiar figure of Ahatake - the one who she had kept from killing her teammate. Her eyes narrowed slightly at him, but she didn't act in a hostile manner - her training kept her from acting irrationally, after all. Ahatake looked up, and his eyes widened slightly. "Yumi," he inclined his head. "Nice to meet you." Yumi nodded cautiously. "Same here, sir." She replied, eyes darting over to Akiko unconsciously. Akiko walked over to Ahatake. "Here, Onii-san, I forgot to do this earlier." Her hand glew red and she placed it over Ahatake's arm. The feeling of warmth spread through it as it healed completely. Ahatake flexed it. "Thanks." He said, standing up. "Now that my arm is better, I'm going out." He grabbed his trenchcoat. "I need to train some more to pay back the man who gave this to me." His eyes lingered on Yumi as he spoke. "...who did it to you..." The girl asked, looking over what would've been a still-spliced arm. "...if I may ask?" Her facial expression was one of concern, but her eyes still held that slight hesitation in what to say. It was at that moment Chiaki had turned a curious eye to the exchange, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Okita Soujirou." Ahatake replied. He headed towards the door. "Nice coat by the way." And he was out. After he had left, Yumi had reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a cell phone. After dialing a few numbers, she put it up to her ear, let it ring for a minute, and then spoke. "Hello? Seta?" She questioned. "I might be here for a while. Go on and head back home. We'll meet up tomorrow, k?" After what sounded like dialogue on the other end, Yumi nodded. "All right. See ya, then..." She hung up, slipping the phone inside of the trenchcoat pocket once more. Akiko looked curious. "Yumi, you and Onii-san were acting odd. You guys haven't met before have you?" "We bumped into each other on the street..." Yumi half-lied. "It was a hasty introduction to each other." "Oh ok." Akiko smiled. If Yumi was thinking anything now, it was probably "Thank God she's an idiot." "Well... if there's not anything else..." Yumi stated hesitantly, turning her back and facing the door. "I'll have to head home soon." Though, she took a glance over at Akiko before she did so. Akiko walked up to her. "Alright. It was nice to meet you Yumi. I have this strange feeling we'll meet again. A warm smile spread across Yumi's face once more. "You think so?" She said, chuckling a bit. "I'll make sure of it." She said and for the last time, she pressed her lips to Yumi's. At first, Yumi's first (and panicked) thought was to push the girl away. But, then again, even her gentle words had crushed Akiko's mood before. As the female Tenno moved her lips once more against her own, she thought, "Oh, what the hell. It wouldn't hurt..." In a surprise move, she returned the kiss with equal force, before they both pulled back. With the smile still on her face, Yumi walked out the door. "See ya again, Akiko!" She called out, before shutting the door behind her. Akiko grinned as she sat down where brother had been moments before. "Yup. I like that one." Chiaki simply rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you do." The End Prev | Next